Saturday, February 12, 2011

Pam Bachorz on Writing Dystopian YA

Please join me in welcoming Pam Bachorz, author of the new release Drought. She's here to chat with us about writing a dystopian YA novel.

Thanks for having me! I can't say I ever set out to write a dystopian book. I really just write what fascinates me and freaks me out. Ever since I was small, I've tended to be fairly suspicious of--and cautious of--authority. I will admit I like to keep a certain amount of control in my life. Less kind people might deem me a control freak. So of course my ultimate horror is to lose control at the hands of authority: to have someone else in charge of my thoughts, my freedom, my very destiny.

Coming up with ideas isn't usually the hard part , for me. It's corralling them--taking a big, BIG idea and finding the right characters and plot to serve it. I've got some story ideas that I'm dying to write, but until I can get the mechanics figured out, or find the right plot, I've got to keep them tucked away. Their time has not come!

It's awesome that dystopian stories are getting so much buzz these days. I think it gives new notice to sci-fi and fantasy concepts that otherwise might have found a smaller audience. But I'll bet you that most of those authors just wanted to write a great story. I know that is what I set out to do!

Here's a little about her:

Pam Bachorz grew up in a small town in the Adirondack foothills, where she participated in every possible performance group and assiduously avoided any threat of athletic activity, unless it involved wearing sequined headpieces and treading water. With a little persuasion she will belt out tunes from "The Music Man" and "The Fantasticks", but she knows better than to play cello in public anymore. Pam attended college in Boston and finally decided she was finished after earning four degrees: a BS in Journalism, a BA in Environmental Science, a Masters in Library Science and an MBA. Her mother is not happy that Pam's degrees are stored under her bed.

Pam draws inspiration from the places she knows best: she wrote CANDOR while living in a Florida planned community, and set DROUGHT in the woods where she spent her summers as a child. She currently lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and their son. When she's not writing, working or parenting, Pam likes to read books not aimed at her age group, go to museums and theater performances, and watch far too much television. She even goes jogging. Reluctantly.

I'm a 23-year old girl on a mission to find the sexiest books only.
Sexy Books: When you turn the last page you feel hot all over with a sense of longing, wishing there was just one more page to be read.